Tracey-Ann Wisdom, Gleaner Writer

Some people believe that you can get rid of HIV by having sex with a virgin. Others think that you can tell whether a person has HIV by just looking at him or her. Better yet, if you are a man, you won't even get an erection if the woman is HIV positive. Therefore, you are safe from HIV/AIDS, right?

Wrong.

These are just some of the myths and misconceptions about HIV/ AIDS that abound in the Jamaican society. They are not only untrue, but dangerous if people continue to believe in and follow them.

Some of these false beliefs are so ingrained in people's minds that they are sabotaging many of the HIV-prevention programmes that have been implemented to curb the spread of the disease. Even though public knowledge of HIV and AIDS has increased since the first AIDS case was reported in 1982, a corresponding change in sexual behaviour has not taken place.

High-risk behaviour

Instead, the number of reported cases of HIV/AIDS increases every year. January to June 2006 figures from the National HIV/STI Prevention and Control Programme show that 72 per cent of reported AIDS cases were caused by high-risk behaviour such as multiple sex partners, history of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), drug use and sex with prostitutes. Surveys also showed that myths and misconceptions have actually increased over the years. A 2002 survey carried out for the National HIV/STI Prevention and Control Programme found that 37 per cent of men believed that HIV can be contracted from mosquito bites; in 1996, only 26 per cent of men believed this. Also, the number of men who believed that HIV can be caught from public toilet seats, another popular belief, had more than doubled from 13 to 32 per cent, over the same period.

According to AnnMarie Dobson, director of public education at Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JAS), myths are definitely a contributing factor in the spread of HIV in Jamaica. "If you have myths surrounding a virus, people take on their own methods of cure," she said. "They refuse to take legitimate actions, such as testing for HIV and using protection."

Derrick Beckford, a 53-year-old taxi operator in Half-Way Tree, agrees that this is so. He said that some people still believe in the myth that there is a cure for HIV, bu he hopes one will be found soon, he does not believe in the myths. "Sex with a virgin is foolishness. It only spread it more," he said.

This is not the only way in which myths and misconceptions aid the spread of the disease. According to an article on the Science and Development Network website, scidev.net, "Even the less obvious myths, for example that HIV/AIDS can be transmitted through coughing or merely touching someone, can inflict enormous damage. By implying that people should keep away from those who are known to be infected, such myths encourage the latter to remain silent about their infection. And this in turn stops them from taking measures to prevent the infection being spread to others."

Some other persistent myths are that mosquitoes transmit HIV, using more than one condom will prevent transmission, and that infection can be prevented if the man does not ejaculate inside the woman, even if she is infected.

But how exactly did these myths come about and why are they so hard to get rid of?

Origin

According to Herbert Gayle, a lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Social Work at the University of the West Indies, Mona, it is hard to pinpoint the specific origin of these myths. Giving the example of an unplanned pregnancy, he said it is possible that a woman just experimented with an abortion 'method' (such as the popular but dangerous Pepsi and rusty nails) and, by sheer coincidence, lost the baby. No one examined whether the concoction actually caused the abortion, but focused instead on the fact that the pregnancy was terminated.

"We have a very strong oral tradition. We're not a very literary society, so people who spread myths are at an advantage," he said, explaining how myths come to be ingrained in people's minds. "They are usually spread by people who are thought to be credible, people who can be trusted. We tend to trust older people, who are largely less educated than we are. You see the dilemma?"

Gayle, who is also an urban anthropologist who works with Youth.now, a youth-oriented reproductive health programme, also explained that myths "can stay around for centuries" because people use them to "make sense of [their] social reality until they know better."

Interventions, campaigns

Due to the pervasive nature of the myths surrounding HIV/AIDS, Dobson believes that in order to get around these myths and misconceptions, interventions and campaigns have to be culturally relevant. "Culture makes people feel safe," she said. "We have to adopt a cultural approach, such as having workshops in the communities, using dramatisation, which is a big part of [Jamaican] culture. You have to speak the lingo, have people understand where you're coming from. It is the only way to break all these myths."

"It's hard for any campaign to just change behaviour," admitted Patricia Russell, behaviour change communication officer for the north-east region (St. Ann, St. Mary and Portland). "Programmes must be holistic. Since 2005, we have been trying to get people to understand their risks. We have made headway, but knowledge does not equal action. Another drawback is that people are getting tested but continuing risky behaviour. They think that because one test was negative, they are safe. We are encouraging them to come back and test again."

Beckford also believes that a shift in focus is needed to stop the spread of HIV in Jamaica. "Telling people to abstain is like telling dem no fi drink water, especially di Jamaican man dem," he said.

"The Ministry of Health need to go into the depressed ghetto areas and distribute condom free. If di man no want it, dem fi persuade di woman dem fi use it." He also said that people need to be taught the proper way to use condoms, because it is the only way to prevent HIV/AIDS from spreading.